Blake Lively’s ‘It Ends With Us’ ‘Has to Work’ as She Seeks a Hollywood Comeback
Blake Lively is keeping her fingers and toes crossed that her soon-to-be-released movie It Ends With Us is a big summer hit as she vies to get back into Hollywood in a big way with the full support of hubby and “personal marketing guru” Ryan Reynolds.
“Blake has finally wised up and tapped into Ryan's savant-like expertise when it comes to marketing to the masses and getting the word out that a project is special,” a source exclusively tells In Touch on Tuesday, June 4. “Even though he's not involved on paper, Ryan's fingerprints are all over Blake's multi-prong campaign for It Ends With Us.”
Blake, 36, is set to star in the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling book It Ends With Us, premiering this summer, and the source says the movie “HAS TO work” for Blake to continue to be a movie star.
“It's based on a successful enough book that if the movie isn't profitable, Blake will have egg on her face,” the insider continues. “That's where Ryan comes in, and it's no coincidence that his production company is called Maximum Effort because that's what he gives whenever he puts his mind behind one of these unusual but promising films or projects.”
Ryan, 47, whom the actress married in 2012, is in her corner “as an advisor and unconventional thinker on the marketing side,” which the source claims Blake wouldn’t have taken up the project without.
“But this project is also very personal to Blake and she has been the driving force behind it because it's about things that are important to her and define her family life: the idea that love can triumph over adversity is a big deal to Blake, and this movie is going to be a celebration of it,” the insider explains. “Ryan is cheering her on and providing strategy because he believes Blake could be the biggest actress-producer-mogul this side of Reese Witherspoon, and she just needs a few more hits under her belt to be thought of that way by everybody in the movie business.”
It Ends With Us was originally slated for a February release, production was shut down due to the 2023 Writer’s Guild of America strike. After filming resumed in January, the movie is set to premiere on August 9.
Blake is set to play Lily, a small-town girl who meets Ryle, a handsome neurosurgeon played by Justin Baldoni. As the relationship escalates, she reconnects with her first love, Atlas, who makes her question her connection with the brilliant medical professional.
"Lily resonated with an enormous amount of people, as the success of the book made clear," the Gossip Girl alum told People on April 30. "Stepping into a character who’s had such a meaningful impact is an honor to take on."
Blake is renowned for her portrayal of Serena van der Woodsen in the CW series Gossip Girl, which aired from 2007 to 2012. Following her time in the teen drama, she has since achieved significant success on the big screen, starring in films such as 2020’s The Rhythm Section and 2018’s A Simple Favor.
